When Premier Doug Ford came to power in Ontario, Ecojustice lawyers knew it wouldn’t be long before they’d be forced to launch a new wave of pressing environmental litigation.

Premier Ford campaigned on promises to roll back laws designed to protect nature, the climate, and Ontarians’ right to clean air and water. When he took office, he abruptly scrapped the province’s cap and trade program without public consultation, then introduced Bill 4, which proposed to scrap Ontario’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, again without public consultation.

With your support, Ecojustice mobilized quickly to take Premier Ford to court for flouting Ontario’s public participation rules, leading to an early victory: Hours after we filed our case, the government launched a public consultation period on Bill 4.

Together, we made sure Doug Ford couldn’t get away with trampling Ontarians’ right to weigh in on significant environmental decisions.

This morning, the court issued its decision on the government’s failure to consult before scrapping the cap and trade program. The majority of the court found that what Premier Ford did was illegal but decided not to grant a formal declaration to that effect.

There’s no doubt Ecojustice’s quick work had a lasting impact. We hope this decision ensures government follows the law in future, as one judge suggested it should.

We remain committed to defending Ontarians, your environmental rights, and nature. That’s why, when Ford attempted to derail nationally-coordinated efforts to combat climate change, we fought back. Now, that case is headed all the way to the country’s highest court.

In January, Ecojustice lawyers will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada to argue that, when provinces aren’t willing to do what it takes to combat climate change, the federal government has the jurisdiction to step in and take action — including by implementing a price on carbon.